Dozens of third-country nationals have registered their addresses at properties linked to two Gozitan construction magnates, even though they do not live there.
Three of these ghost tenants have also applied for controversial sanctioning planning permits on behalf of Mark Agius.
Times of Malta visited five addresses in three properties in Gozo on Wednesday owned by Agius and fellow developer Daniel Refalo and established that all bar one are being used as offices. Both are close associates of mega developer Joseph Portelli.
Around 50 individuals are falsely declared on government databases as residing in a building owned by Agius, on Triq Qasam San Ġorġ, Victoria, next to the back door of his supermarket – Ta’ Dirjanu food store.
Twenty people are listed as living in Flat 1 of Agius Buildings, 25 in Flat 2, while four are recorded in Flat 3, government data seen by Times of Malta shows.
Agius Buildings is listed as the headquarters of a conglomerate partly owned by Mark Agius – Agius Group of Companies.
The address of DTX Properties, a company owned by Refalo, also has third-country nationals falsely listed as residing in it.
The offices are located on Triq Marsalforn, Xagħra in a property named Janique House.
A Xagħra block of flats also had around a dozen third-country nationals falsely recorded as residents in one apartment, the government data seen by Times of Malta shows.
However, a resident said no foreigners lived in the building.
Third-country nationals are required to reside at their registered addresses and must notify authorities if they change location. Failure to notify Identità of the change may result in the revocation of the residence permit.
Three individuals, falsely recorded as living at these addresses, have applied for the sanctioning of 10 illegally built penthouses in a Sannat apartment complex built by Agius.
Tarlochan Singh, who is registered as living at Agius’s offices, successfully sanctioned two penthouses in the Sannat complex despite a court of appeal ruling that they should never have been built.
In application PA/03869/24, Singh declared he is not the owner of the entire site but is authorised to carry out the proposed development through an agreement with the owner.
Klevis Hoxhaj, listed as living at Refalo’s DTX Projects offices, applied to sanction two other penthouses in the complex. Elidon Koci, who is registered in a Xagħra block of flats along with other TCNs, applied to sanction six penthouses.
Those applications, PA 5626/24 and 5625/24 are still in their initial vetting stages and representations are still being accepted.
Arnold Cassola has also raised the issue on social media platforms.
The Gozitan developers’ triumvirate of Refalo, Agius, and Portelli often have stakes in each other’s companies and embark on joint projects.
Questions were sent to Agius and DTX Projects Ltd.
Times of Malta also asked Malta’s ID work permit agency, Identità, why so many people were allowed to register as living at one address without triggering alarm.
Identità did not reply to questions.